Leadership Is Accountability
Accountability isn’t just a buzzword; it’s the hallmark of true leadership. In a landscape littered with excuses and blame games, the leaders who stand tall are those who own their failures as proudly as their successes.
Here’s the deal: stuff goes sideways. It’s not a matter of if, but when. And when it does, the best leaders — the ones you remember, the ones who make a dent in the universe — they step up. They don’t hide behind their teams, they don’t point fingers, and they sure as hell don’t make excuses. They own it. Full stop.
Why? Because ownership breeds respect. It’s easy to be at the helm during smooth sailing, but the true test of a captain comes in stormy seas. Owning your mistakes does a couple of things. First, it shows you’re human, fallible, and relatable. People don’t follow robots; they follow humans who understand the human condition, including failure.
Second, it sets a precedent. It tells your team that it’s okay to fail, that failure is part of the process, part of the journey. This isn’t about celebrating failure, but about recognizing its role in growth and innovation. A culture that punishes failure breeds caution, not courage. It leads to a company full of people too scared to take the risks necessary for breakthroughs.
But here’s the kicker: owning up is just the start. What sets the best leaders apart is what they do next. They analyze, they learn, and they iterate. They take that failure and dissect it, understanding what went wrong to ensure it doesn’t happen again. This isn’t about self-flagellation; it’s about evolution.
So, how do I hold myself accountable? By standing in the arena, owning my failures, and using them as stepping stones. It’s not just about accountability; it’s about responsibility. Responsibility to my team, to my mission, and, ultimately, to myself.
Remember, in the grand chess game of business and life, the king can move one square in any direction. Sometimes, that move is forward, sometimes it’s backward. But always, it’s the king making the move, not the pawns. Be the king. Own your moves, own your mistakes. That’s not just leadership; that’s legacy.
Brian Fink is the author of The Main Thing is The Main Thing. It’s his way of galvanizing your focus to bring your life’s work to reality. Fink’s impassioned wit and humor tackle the highs and lows of dispelling the constant barrage of interruptions, pings, and distractions that take you away from realizing your main thing.
